Small Hands, Big Hearts

It’s been nearly a year since we started this blog and well, I must admit I’ve never been very good at blogging.  A long time ago I decided that I was more of a jogger than a blogger – it’s just that any spare time I have I’d rather be moving than sitting, and I seem to have not yet mastered the art of how to post on the go.

I had a goal of raising $20,000 for Bloom Asia by the beginning of this year, and while we didn’t hit that target, through the efforts of many friends who graciously got on board to help, we raised $5,000 over a few months time.  I found that it was a lot to juggle-  I was spending lots of time in the car with my little ones along and I have to hand it to working moms who work with their kids in tow.  Tough job!  However, it’s wonderful to know that this money will directly impact woman and girls rescued out of sex slavery and that many, many people have been educated and informed of these real issues at hand.

While this fundraising effort was more “moms” headed and not child led, I do believe that it still involves our kids.  It’s one thing to talk about making a difference with your children, but talking and doing makes poverty and slavery closer and more real.  It shows them that it’s possible to make a difference and that it’s something that I value and care about immensely.  I hope it teaches them gratitude, appreciation and that we are blessed to be a blessing.  Our kids saw and heard about the importance of helping people and doing our part to better the lives of others.  They saw this several times a week and I hope that ultimately it will instill in them the need to be justice bringers and peace makers.

While the fundraising campaign is over, I love seeing the trickle effect it had.  A young man, passionate about justice, regularly will place a $50 or $100 note in my hand – money he wants to go towards Bloom’s work.  He likes the psychical act and accountability of giving, because it reminds him of his own responsibility to be involved.  (I wish there were more men like this, as I found that it was easier to recruit women to the cause than men.) And another friend recently donated sales from her online business to Bloom’s work.  It is encouraging to see that while I have stepped back and have put less time into fundraising, the work continues.

Not sure exactly what this year holds for us.  Jen and I see this blog as a part of a growing movement to fight injustice and encourage each other and our children to fight slavery and injustice in big and small ways.  We hope that it has encouraged some of you over the past year, and I hope that together we all can empower one another and our children to continue to work towards making our world a better place!

Last night, my son wasn’t that thrilled with what I thought was an amazing meal – chicken, noodle soup made with pureed spinach, chicken, gluten free “shells”, and a zillion colourful vegetables (all organic- I mean, how great is this soup!).  He was being pretty cheeky, and told me he wasn’t going to eat his dinner, that it looked like “garbage”.

Garbage?  My thoughts immediately sailed across the ocean to images of children picking out scraps of food from dumping grounds, miles long.  Children as small as my son, scavenging away, looking for anything to fill their bloated bellies or bits of metal to sell.  I can’t remember where these images came from – photos or documentaries?  But I’ve definitely seen little ones picking through garbage bins through my years of growing up in a poverty-stricken country.  And I am sure there are people, even here in Australia, who likely do the same or at least go hungry every night.

I went to the compost bin where we keep our food scraps, opened up the lid and took it to the table.  ”Look at this”, I told my children.  ”This is garbage.  Smell it.  Breath it in.  Is this what you want to eat for dinner tonight?”  I told them about the children in this world who eat food like this because it is all they have.

I seemed to have made my point because both my son and daughter (4 and 2) ate all of their dinner and seemed to appreciate it and all of it’s colourful organic goodness.  The shells became creatures from their favourite Octonauts show and we enjoyed a nice dinner hour together.

I’m not sure how we teach our children not to take what we have for  granted and to appreciate how much we have,  but I’ll keep trying.   Because I’m so glad that I have the resources to be concerned about eating organic food and even though I complain about the price of groceries (and really, they are truly expensive and hard to afford), we have so so much to be thankful for.

Perhaps my object lessons are just as much for me, as for my kids.

Thanks to all my lovely volunteers (friends) who helped me pull together the stall at the Sunshine Beach baby market this past Sunday and who donated their beloved baby items.  We raised $500 to go towards Bloom Asia.  Who’d have known baby markets could be so much of an adrenaline rush?

Best quote of the day came from my darling niece whom I  shamefully neglected to feed in the craziness of the day (We picked her up at 5 am to drive up to the Sunny Coast and we didn’t get a bite to eat until probably one that afternoon).  She says:  ”I’m sooooooo hungry but I guess this is nothing compared to what these poor children have to go through.  I’m okay. ”

I was thrilled when my good friend, living outside of Toronto, Canada, contacted me a month or so ago and told me she was inspired by Small Hands Big Hearts and wanted to do her own garage sale for charity. The night before the sale she messaged, “Pray, it’s forecast to rain!” and then, the next day I hear via facebook that she’s raised $500. The money will go to Bloom in Cambodia. Thanks so much Amy! You are FABULOUS!

Despite our blogging absence, it’s been a semi busy/notable few weeks for these small hands.  We’ve had another school bake sale  and are happy to report that we’ve raised over $600, all of which will go toward BTW’s Not For Profit campaign.  In fact, this week a team from BTW will be traveling to the rescue home to continue building projects and solar panel installations.  The bake sale monies will go towards purchasing winter clothing for these kids who will face temperatures lower than -40 C come winter.   Several children  have really embraced this opportunity to make a difference and it has been encouraging to see this blossoming of compassion in these young ones hearts.

Speaking of blossoming, we’ve been doing some of that lately.  In addition to planting lots of petunias, snap dragons, dianthus, peonies, and daisies in my garden, we’re excited to be a part of planting some seeds for Bloom Asia, an NGO in Cambodia that provides vocational training and employment to women rescued out of sex trafficking.   I’ve become an advocate for Bloom which means hosting Bloom parties – basically Tupperware type parties – with goods to sell that are sourced from Cambodia and specifically NGOs in Cambodia that train and employ women in vocational skills.  Bloom itself makes beautiful and delicious looking cards – but there’s a whole array of items – bead necklaces, Bloom aprons, children’s busy books, silk scarves, silk make up kits – you get the idea.  I organize a party where I can  share the work of Bloom, as well as educate people about slavery around the world and in Cambodia and ask them to make a difference by purchasing these fair trade goods.  And then all the profits go into Bloom.

This past week we were in Toowoomba – where I may add the flowers at this time of year are STUNNING (my favorites were the tulips, lilacs, and peach blossoms)- and my lovely sis-in-law, Eilleen, and her mum helped me with a Toowoomba tea party.  15 kind souls showed and would you believe that between the sales and donations we came up with about $800.  Incredible.

I’m looking for other friends and family willing to host a party.  You can do it two ways,

1) You contact Bloom yourself and become an advocate.  They will send you a box of items to sell. You then organize your party and educate your friends.

2) You can contact me and if I live close by, I can help you by speaking at the party and organizing the sale of items.  All you need to do is invite your friends and ask a few of them to bring a plate to share for morning/avo tea ( if you like you can bake it all yourself but I’ve found that adds quite a bit more work for you) , and voila – it’s that easy to make a difference.

The sun is out, colourful flowers are in bloom.  Here’s to a season of weeding out slavery,  and witnessing the blossoming of beauty, life, opportunity, and hope.

image courtesy of http://www.hickerphoto.com/spring-flowering-tree-7678-pictures.htm